Sporting Goods IP

Lilenfeld PC

What Our Clients Say

“David has been extremely helpful and available throughout the entire process of working with him. His answers and advice have helped me continue to build my business, while not worrying about legal issues.”

At the intersection of sporting goods and intellectual property, you’ll find Lilenfeld PC. We possess extensive knowledge of this area of the law, and we’ve put it to use for a variety of sporting good clients over the years. This includes manufacturers, retailers, large brands, team dealers, and also wholesalers. We find that our sporting good clients’ needs typically fall into two major categories: patents and trademarks.

Sporting good patents

For manufacturers, an innovative new product can mean higher sales, valuable brand exposure, and maybe even licensing deals. In order to protect this asset, however, it’s critical that a patent is secured. Patents ensure that you have sole rights to your innovation for a set number of years. This, in turn, means you’re able to enjoy all the fruits of your labor.

However, obtaining a patent is a time-consuming process. It can also require a significant investment of resources. For this reason, it’s usually not practical to patent every single new idea that you have.

Lilenfeld PC can take an inventory of all your products and innovations that might be candidates for patenting. We’ll then use our sporting goods knowledge and legal insight to give a recommendation for your patent strategy.

If we believe an innovation is commercially viable – and also legally patentable – we’ll tell you about it. On the other hand, if we don’t see an opportunity, we will never mislead you. Our firm knows that honesty and realistic advice are always in our client’s best interest.

If you do decide to pursue a patent, we can guide you through the process. At your request, we can also take care of the legal maintenance for your entire patent portfolio. To learn more, please visit our patents page.

Sporting good trademarks

A memorable trademark can be a real game-changer in the sporting goods arena. Nike’s “Just Do It” tagline, the three-striped logo of Adidas, and the “Everlast” name all helped to cement those brands in the minds of customers.

If your company has a valuable trademark, it’s important to protect it and guard against copycats. This typically involves registering your trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). While the application appears simple, registration is actually a complicated process. Luckily, Lilenfeld PC can help. Our firm is especially proficient in this area of law, and we have a wealth of experience securing trademark protection for sporting good clients.

The first step is to define exactly what your trademark is. If your trademark is not “distinctive” enough, your registration will be refused. For example, if you try to register the brand name “Basketball Shoes Company,” you will likely be denied because the name is generic. The end result is wasted time and expense. Lilenfeld PC’s attorneys can use their expertise to help you make a legally prudent trademark selection.

We can also conduct a trademark screening search for you. The goal here is to verify that your trademark hasn’t already been registered by someone else. This is another measure that, on occasion, helps clients avoid a great deal of frustration down the line.

If you do decide to pursue registration, we’ll handle the entire process for you. Our trademark attorneys are seasoned experts, and we’re also extremely efficient. Plus, when you have questions, we always explain the proceedings in plain, straightforward language.

Assuming you secure your registration, you’ll still need to maintain it by filing specific documents with the Trademark Office every few years. This is yet another task our legal team can handle for you, if you request it. To learn more about this or any of our other trademark services, please get in touch by calling (404) 201-2520.